One's sarcastic, the other's as serious as a poison dart to the jugular. Walsh and Dorian may be big-wave surfing's odd couple, but what's particularly odd is how far they've been able to push each other, which in turn has pushed the sport as a whole.

If there was any question before Oct. 9, Shane Dorian is unequivocally the best big-wave surfer in the world today. After pulling into 25-foot tubes like this, he cemented his position as the frontrunner for the 2012 Billabong XXL Ride of the Year award.

Along with Keala Kennelly, Paige Aims gave the women something to cheer for. Not only are they out in the lineup with the world's best men, they're catching bombs like this. Former ASP world champion Carissa Moore called them "inspiring."

Cutting his teeth at Dungeons, near Cape Town, South Africa, today Twiggy's a fixture in any lineup that's pushing 20-plus feet. And he usually comes away with "wave of the day" honors. This one earned him a couple of pats on the back.

One's sarcastic, the other's as serious as a poison dart to the jugular. Walsh and Dorian may be big-wave surfing's odd couple, but what's particularly odd is how far they've been able to push each other, which in turn has pushed the sport as a whole.

If there was any question before Oct. 9, Shane Dorian is unequivocally the best big-wave surfer in the world today. After pulling into 25-foot tubes like this, he cemented his position as the frontrunner for the 2012 Billabong XXL Ride of the Year award.

Along with Keala Kennelly, Paige Aims gave the women something to cheer for. Not only are they out in the lineup with the world's best men, they're catching bombs like this. Former ASP world champion Carissa Moore called them "inspiring."

Cutting his teeth at Dungeons, near Cape Town, South Africa, today Twiggy's a fixture in any lineup that's pushing 20-plus feet. And he usually comes away with "wave of the day" honors. This one earned him a couple of pats on the back.

Ian Walsh, Shane Dorian

Tony Heff

One's sarcastic, the other's as serious as a poison dart to the jugular. Walsh and Dorian may be big-wave surfing's odd couple, but what's particularly odd is how far they've been able to push each other, which in turn has pushed the sport as a whole.